Back in September, I, too, had a flu shot that was administered in what seemed to be the bone of my left arm. I immediately felt that there was something wrong when the nurse had difficulty pushing the needle in and I felt pain. My range of motion has been affected and it is very painful to reach over my head and pull (as in pulling a shirt off), in addition to sleeping on my left side.
Since I work in the place where my shot was administered, I was told to go to a doctor for an evaluation. Question...what kind of doctor would be the best to evaluate this condition?? Perhaps a neurologist? Also, what types of tests are done to evaluate this condition?
Side note...I am 43, a non-smoker with no other health problems.
Thank you so much for your input!
What bone was it, the humerus? Also, what was the medical diagnosis as to the bone turning to mush? I had left deltoid injection three years ago. and sometimes it feels as though there is a rubber band trying to pull my arm back as I extend it to wash my hands at the sink or do other stuff. I had an emg/ncv which was normal. I don't know if it is frozen shoulder or what? In your case, could they diagnosis anything wrong with the bone before going in, like shoulder mri or xray? How long after the shot did the problem develop?
I had the shot given directly into the shoulder joint. After 6 months of PT the doctors decided to do surgery. When they went in, they found that my bone turned to mush and needed a partial replacement which took another surgery. I have about 60% use of my arm but can hit a baseball. Abduction is the real sore point as well as sleeping. The Doctors from the hospital where the shot was given aren't saying whether the shot caused the problem because they say there is no prior history of this happening to anybody else. Hopefully we can prove them wrong. Any help you can provide would be extremely helpful, and I will be glad to share anything I can to you as well.
I too have had a stranger reaction to a flu shot back in Oct 2007. I started experiencing pain and restricted movement several weeks after the shot was administered in my left shoulder. After seeing a Primary Care doctor, Orthopedic, Chiropractor and Physical Rehab Specialist, it was determined that the shot was administerd incorrectly into my bursa causing an inflammatory response resulting in a frozen shoulder. Apparently my doctor found 2 other similar case reports. I received an injection of cortisone and I'm back in PT. Things are better but not back to normal. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Any other advice you can offer would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Lisa,
How are you feeling now?
Generally Influenza vaccine is well tolerated. The reported side effects of the inactivated flu vaccine are not common. Side effects include soreness at the site of the injection, muscle aching, fever, and feeling unwell. Very rarely, serious allergic reactions have been reported.
Your symptoms appear to me as irritation of nerve while giving injection. This is called as neuritis. It will take time to heal and repair. It will take approximately more than 6 weeks to 12 weeks.
I think you should take help of neurologist to assess the condition and do NCV test to isolate the nerve being affected.
I would also advice you to take help from physiotherapist to avoid any disuse atrophy.
Hope this helps.
Bye.